Check-valve for boiler-feed



J. E. A. MILLER.

' CHECK VALVE FOR BOILER FEED.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, 19 ]9.

Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

' INVENTOR. I \IE. fif/LLL-R WIT/V155 J ATTORNEYS.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHECK-VALVE BOILER-FEED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

Application filed July 2, 1919. Serial No. 308,192.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOHN E. A. MILLER, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented a certain new and useful Check-Valve for Boiler- Feed, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in check valves for water feed systems for boilers, and has for its primary object the provision of a valve which will minimize the blow or hammer in feed systems, and in this way reduce the destructive wear upon, and liability of derangement of, the valve and such parts of the pump or engine as are ordinarily ill-affected by hammering, thereby insuring a smooth, even and reliable water feed action;

Another object of the invention is to provide a valve of the character described, which is constructed to oaerate effectively with a relatively short lift or throw under and against a reduced load so as to insure reliability and smoothness of operation, there being provided novel means for regulating the lift or throw of the valve.

A further object is to provide a cage for the valve, which cage will permit free operation of the valve, allow the stream to How freely therefrom and securely hold the valve seat against working out of position so that liability of the boiler feed becoming cut off is eliminated.

Another object is to provide a valve and its associated parts, all as of the character described, which will be of simple construction, inexpensive and capable of being readily assembled and dis-assembled.

The invention possesses other advantageous features, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth at length in the following description where I shall outline in full, that form of the apparatus which I ts upper end is formed wlth an annular have selected for. illustration in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. In said drawings I have shown one form of the apparatus of my invention, but itis to be understood that I donot limit myself to such form, since the Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation of the cage or guide.

Fig. 4c is a fragmentary side elevation of the lift regulating stem.

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan'view of the stem shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a grinding tool.

In carrying out my invention, I materially reduce the area of the valve and in crease the area of the valve seat so that a large part of the pressure load or blow, which ordinarily falls upon the valve, is taken up by the seat and pounding or hammering of the valve is therefore minimized. The valve is preferably annular and in the form of a fiat ring, and the seat is flat and provided with an annular opening controlled by the valve. The cooperating faces of the valve and seat are flat, of relatively greater area than the ordinary beveled edge valve and its seat, and the stream discharges between the valve and seat both through the opening in the valve and around the outer periphery of the valve. Therefore, only a relatively short lift is needed to effect an adequate opening of the valve and the valve lifts under a reduced load owing to its reduced area, thus providing for smoothness and reliability. of operation.

In the present embodiment of my inven tion, the valve is provided with a casing 1, of conventional form, said casing having an inlet opening 2 at one end and being closed at its other end by a head plate 3. An out let dis provided on one side of the casing and is connected with the boiler feed pipe 5. The casing is reduced in diameter interiorly and near the intake end, as at 6, and the upper end of this reduced portion is formed with an annular recess 7 which receives the valve seat 8.

The seat 8 is in cylindrical form and upon provided a vertical web portion l4= located The upper end of the seat is the stem it is raised or lowered as the casecentrally of the sea-t beneath the upper end or wall thereof. This web portion joins the sides and top of the seat, strengthening the seat generally. It will thus be seen that the seat is in the form of a fiat annular ring 15 which is separated from a flat circular central core portion 16 by a series of segmental openings forming the annular opening 12, and joined with the core portion by the webs 13. The core portion is provided centrally with a recess 16 to receive and center a grinding tool which will be later described.

Mounted upon the seat 8 is a flat annular valve 17 which is provided on its upper face at its outer periphery with an upstanding annular flange 18. This valve is of such diameter that it will overlie the opening 12 in the seat an equal distance on each side of the opening, and in being of annular form permits the streams to pass between its under face and the seat, on both sides thereof, that is, one stream will pass through the center of the valve and the other out between the outer peripheries of the valve and seat.

There is provided means for regulating the lift of the valve, and this means consists of a stem 19 which is vertically adjustably mounted in the casing 1 and at its lower end is adapted to be engaged by the valve. This stem extends through the head plate 3 and through a bushing member 20 that is secured to the head plate. The bushing is provided with a screw threaded extension 21 and the stem is screw threaded as at 22 for cooperation with the extension.

2 The upper extremity of the stem is screw threaded as at 23 so as to receive a suitable handle not shown. At its lower end the stem is enlarged and cored out as at2 1, and provided with spaced laterally extending feet 25,]the portions of the enlarged portion between the feet being inclined or tapered downwardly and inwardly, as at 26 to perma free flow of water between the feet. The opening or cored out portion 24: is in registration with the opening through the valve, and the space between the feet is likewise in registration with said valve opening. Formed through the wall of the portion 2 1 are openings 28 through which water that enters the opening 24iescapes. By turning may be, and the lift of the valve may be regulated as desired.

Mounted within the casing 1 is a cylindrical cage member 29, the upper end of which is interiorly screw threaded and turned upon a screw threaded boss 30 that depends from the head plate 8, the stem 19 being passed through said boss. The cage is con siderably circumferentially spaced fromthe casing'and at its lower end is enlarged and provides a chamber 31 in which the valve and lower enlarged end 24 of the stem 19 operates. The chamber 31 or lower end of the cage is provided'with a series of segmental openings 32 which permit the stream .that passes between the feet 25 into the chamber 81 to pass into the casingl.

On the lower extremity of the cage are provided lugs 33 which rest upon the seat 8 and serve to prevent the seat from working upwardly and out of position. These lugs 33 define openings 34: therebetween and the stream which passes out from between the outer peripheries of the valve and seat escapes through said openings into the easing 1. At the upper end of its enlarged portion the cage is provided with an inwardly extending annular flange 35 which terminates slightly spaced from the enlarged portion 24 of the stem 19. Openings 36 are by a bit, not shown. The under projection 39 is adapted to engage in the recess 16 and center the tool when the latter is screwed into place. The wall of the valve opening is threaded as at 10, so as to receive the tool 37.

Assuming that the valve is attached to a steam pump, when the boiler pressure low ers, the water feed pressure forces the valve 17 open, the lift of the valve being limited.

by the engagement thereof with the feet 25 on the stem 19. In this connection, it will be noted that the flange 18 provides on-the valve a cup-like face in which the feet engage. Inasmuch as the area of the valve is very small as compared to the conventional type of valve, the pressure blow is not all taken up by the valve but largely by the core portion 16 of the valve seat, therefore .hammering of the valve is eliminated. When the boiler pressure rises and exceeds thefeed pressure, the valve will be forced back against the seat and closed,;the load being mostly taken up as before explained by the seat and hammering is thus avoided. When the valve is open, and it is only necessary that it open or lift a distance considerably less than the ordinary conventional disk valve, one stream flows inwardly between the valve 17 and seat 8 up through the center of the valve,'into the opening 28 in the stem 19, and at the'same time through the spaces between the feet 25. This stream is thus divided, part going into the opening 28 into the cage 29 and out through'the openings 36finto the casing, and the other part ios through the spaces between the feet 25 into the chamber 31, and from thence through the segmental openings 32 into the casing 1. The other stream from the valve passes outwardly between the valve and seat and through the opening or spaces defined between the lugs 33, into the casing 1. All streams entering the casing pass through the outlet a into the feed pipe 5 and from thence to the boiler, not shown.

Thus it will be seen that the valve need have but a short lift and that it carries a relatively light pressure load in opening and closing. As an example, a conventional solid disk valve for an 800 I. H. P. boiler, the valve having a 13 area X 180 lbs. pressure, equaling 1065 lbs. and a lift of of an inch, is subjected to a blow equaling 1065 lbs. of an inch. With the valve of this invention having a B area X 180 lbs. pressure equaling 500 lbs. and a lift of of an inch, the blow equals only 500x Therefore, in my valve I have minimized the load, shortened the lift and eliminated hammering, all tending to increase the reliability and efliciency of operation of the valve.

I claim:

1. A check valve comprising a valve cas ing having an inlet opening and an outlet opening, a valve seat adjacent the inlet opening, said seat having an annular port in its upper face, an annular valve controlllng the port, a lift regulating stem vertically adjustably mounted in said casing and adapted at its lower end to be engaged by the valve, and lateral feet on said stem engaging said valve, said feet being spaced to provide passages therebetween, said pas?- sa-ges registering with the opening through the center of the valve and with the casing.

2. A check valve comprising a valve casing having an inlet opening and an outlet opening, a valve seat adjacent the inlet opening, said seat having an annular port in its upper face, an annular valve controlling the port, a lift regulating stem vertically adjustably mounted in said casing and adapted at its lower end to be engaged by the Valve, and lateral feet on said stem engaging said valve, said feet being spaced to provide passages therebetween, said passages registering with the opening through the center of the valve and with the casing, said stem having its lower end open and registering with the opening through the valve, said stem having apertures formed therethrough to communicate the lower open end thereof with the interior of the casing.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at San Francisco, California, this 24th day of June, 1919.

In presence of V IN. W. HEALEY. 

